S.F. couple fighting eviction get 10-day reprieve

Updated 10:24 pm, Monday, September 30, 2013

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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Gum Gee Lee prays in her living room the day before the family were to be evicted from their longtime home Tuesday September 24, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now is being evicted under the Ellis Act. Friends, politicians and religious leaders gathered at their home to show their support for the elderly couple and stand against evictions of longtime residents. less

Gum Gee Lee prays in her living room the day before the family were to be evicted from their longtime home Tuesday September 24, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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Over one hundred supporters of the Lee's and shouted against elderly evictions Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now is being evicted under the Ellis Act. Friends, politicians and religious leaders gathered at their home to show their support for the elderly couple and stand against evictions of longtime residents. less

Over one hundred supporters of the Lee's and shouted against elderly evictions Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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Gum Gee Lee (center clapping) sat with other people willing to be arrested on the porch of her home Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now is being evicted under the Ellis Act. Friends, politicians and religious leaders gathered at their home to show their support for the elderly couple and stand against evictions of longtime residents. less

Gum Gee Lee (center clapping) sat with other people willing to be arrested on the porch of her home Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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The Lee family, Gum Gee Lee (left), daughter Shiu Man Lee and father Poon Heung Lee stood in their doorway Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now is being evicted under the Ellis Act. Friends, politicians and religious leaders gathered at their home to show their support for the elderly couple and stand against evictions of longtime residents. less

The Lee family, Gum Gee Lee (left), daughter Shiu Man Lee and father Poon Heung Lee stood in their doorway Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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Mother Gum Gee Lee (right) calmed her daughter Shiu Man Lee in the kitchen of the home they must leave Tuesday September 24, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now is being evicted under the Ellis Act. Friends, politicians and religious leaders gathered at their home to show their support for the elderly couple and stand against evictions of longtime residents.

Mother Gum Gee Lee (right) calmed her daughter Shiu Man Lee in the kitchen of the home they must leave Tuesday September 24, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San

Gum Gee Lee (left) and her husband Poon Heung Lee listened as an interpreter explained a question Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now is being evicted under the Ellis Act. Friends, politicians and religious leaders gathered at their home to show their support for the elderly couple and stand against evictions of longtime residents. less

Gum Gee Lee (left) and her husband Poon Heung Lee listened as an interpreter explained a question Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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Mother Gum Gee Lee (left) and her daughter Shiu Man Lee hold hands outside the kitchen of the home they will soon lose Tuesday September 24, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now is being evicted under the Ellis Act. Friends, politicians and religious leaders gathered at their home to show their support for the elderly couple and stand against evictions of longtime residents. less

Mother Gum Gee Lee (left) and her daughter Shiu Man Lee hold hands outside the kitchen of the home they will soon lose Tuesday September 24, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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Sandals are scattered on the floor near the front door of the Lee residence Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now is being evicted under the Ellis Act. Friends, politicians and religious leaders gathered at their home to show their support for the elderly couple and stand against evictions of longtime residents. less

Sandals are scattered on the floor near the front door of the Lee residence Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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Over one hundred supporters gathered in front of the Lee's building on Jackson Street to support the family Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now is being evicted under the Ellis Act. Friends, politicians and religious leaders gathered at their home to show their support for the elderly couple and stand against evictions of longtime residents. less

Over one hundred supporters gathered in front of the Lee's building on Jackson Street to support the family Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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A woman sat in front of a large chart showing the numbers of evictions because of the Ellis Act since 1997 Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San Francisco for decades and now is being evicted under the Ellis Act. Friends, politicians and religious leaders gathered at their home to show their support for the elderly couple and stand against evictions of longtime residents. less

A woman sat in front of a large chart showing the numbers of evictions because of the Ellis Act since 1997 Wednesday September 25, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The Lee family has lived on Jackson Street in San ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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S.F. couple fighting eviction get 10-day reprieve

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An elderly San Francisco couple fighting to stay in the rent-controlled Nob Hill apartment they've called home for 34 years won a small victory Monday when the mayor's office negotiated a 10-day stay of their eviction order.

Gum Gee Lee, 74, and her husband, Poon Heung Lee, 80, announced the postponement alongside housing advocates and lawyers on their front stoop at Jackson and Larkin streets.

Last week, hundreds of activists rallied there against the eviction, while calling on the city to do more to protect poorer residents from the fallout of the tech-fueled housing boom.

The Lees received a notice to vacate from building owner Matthew Miller more than a year ago, with the deadline set for last Wednesday.

Miller is evicting the family under the state's Ellis Act, which allows him to oust tenants as long as he doesn't rent to someone else. The Lees believe he plans to turn the aging complex of eight apartments into high-end tenant-in-common units.

The 10-day extension gives the family time to figure out its next step, said Gen Fujioka, policy director of the Chinatown Community Development Center, which is helping the Lee family fight the eviction.

The Lees, who are living off Social Security checks and caring for their mentally disabled daughter, said they won't be able to find anything equal to the $778 a month they pay for their two-bedroom home.

Fujioka said the mayor's office intervened over the weekend and negotiated the extension with the owner, which started Monday. The mayor's office did not return calls seeking comment.

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